CLEVELAND — Jason Kipnis' season -- and possibly career with the Cleveland Indians -- is now over.
On Tuesday, the team announced that the veteran second baseman fractured the hook of the hamate bone in his right wrist, an injury that will likely require surgery. With a typical time frame for his return to Major League game activity set at four-to-six weeks, Kipnis' 2019 season is effectively over.
Kipnis, who suffered the injury in Sunday's victory over the Minnesota Twins, is currently in the final guaranteed year of his contract with Cleveland, where he has spent the entirety of his nine-year Major League career. This offseason, the Indians will have to choose between paying him $16.5 million for the 2020 season or exercising a $2.5 million buyout, which would make him a free agent.
Given the financial realities of the Indians' roster, the latter appears more likely.
After enduring slump and injury-filled seasons in 2017 and 2018, the left-handed-hitting Kipnis has enjoyed a bounce-back year of sorts for the Indians in 2019. Appearing in 121 games, he has amassed a .245 batting average (.715 OPS), 17 home runs and 65 RBIs.
Over the course of nine seasons in Cleveland, the 2-time All-Star has hit for a .261 average, 123 home runs and 529 RBIs.
Kipnis is the second Indians' infielder to suffer a season-ending injury after third baseman Jose Ramirez endured a broken hand in August. With Kipnis sidelined, the Indians have recalled utility infielder Andrew Velazquez from Triple-A Columbus.
Heading into a three-game series with the Detroit Tigers set to begin on Tuesday night, the 87-63 Indians currently trail the Minnesota Twins by five games in the American League Central and the Oakland Athletics (2.5 games) and Tampa Bay Rays (1.5 games) in the American League Wild Card race with 12 games left in the regular season.